Science education in a changing world
We’ve new resources for students and teachers that go beyond science concepts.
Countering false information
How do we know what information we can trust and what we can’t? We live in a world where it is becoming increasingly difficult – and increasingly important – to be able to sort facts from false information. We're pleased to present a new suite of resources to help students counter false information and identify trustworthy online sources.
Fake news in the online world
The term ‘fake news’ has been in use for more than two centuries. ‘Fake news’ meant exactly what it sounds like – the news was not true. However, in recent times, the term has become a way to shut down conversation and discredit information whether it is factual or not.
Countering false information introduces the issue and provides pedagogical information. Each of the following articles encompasses a ‘big idea’ in digital literacy that can be incorporated into the Understand, Know, Do framework. Each article also provides real-life examples of the big idea, which are useful contexts for sparking inquiry:
Supporting resources include:
The activities are designed to help students learn how to counter false information:
Our thanks to The Workshop for their wisdom and their oversight with these resources – including a special mention to Julie, who wrote Making sense of our information environment.
Provocations for science educators
This interactive image map showcases short videos of teachers and science/pūtaiao educators discussing science education. Click on a label for the video, background information and prompting questions/ngā pātai.
Select here to view the full transcript and copyright information.
Stimulating professional thinking and discussion
Science education is evolving, and our teaching practices need to reflect this.
Inspiring science teaching discussions and the interactive Provocations for science educators showcases short videos of teachers and science/pūtaiao educators. Their purpose is to encourage discussions regarding science education. Each video includes pātai/prompting questions to get the conversation started.
Māori knowledge in science education: He mana ōrite, he awa whiria is our latest recorded PLD webinar. Professor Georgina Tuari Stewart and Associate Professor Sally Birdsall discuss the inclusion of mātauranga in science teaching. The webinar prompts educators to think deeply about the meaning of Māori concepts such as mātauranga and mana ōrite, and the value of including Māori concepts in our teaching.
Save the date
Join us on 14 August for a free webinar Monitoring the moana – participatory science methods with Sally Carson, Director of the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre. Sally will share hands-on tools for data collection. The NZ Marine Studies Centre at the University of Otago manages the Marine Metre Squared citizen science project.
REGISTER
Participatory science methods
Whether you live close to the coast or not, our waterways are connected so we all have a role in looking after our coastal environment. Participatory science methods allow everyone to contribute to the knowledge about, and action for our environment.
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Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao
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